Wearable airbag device

ABSTRACT

A wearable airbag device is configured to protect a targeted body part of a wearer, and includes an airbag configured to inflate to cover the targeted body part by allowing an inflation gas to flow thereinto. The airbag has a plurality of columnar inflation portions in which width dimensions are set to be smaller than that of the targeted body part, and configured to maintain an arranged state of the columnar inflation portions when the inflation is completed, and to protect the targeted body part.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. 2021-44080 of Yanagisawa et al., filed on Mar. 17, 2021, the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a wearable airbag device that canprotect a targeted body part of a wearer.

2. Description of Related Art

In the related art, as a wearable airbag device, as described inJP-T-2014-514462, there was a device having a configuration forprotecting a hip at the time of a fall by being worn on a wearer bybeing wrapped around the hip, and by inflating the bag-shaped airbag.

This type of wearable airbag device is configured to inflate the airbagin a state of being worn on a human body. Therefore, as a gas feedingmember for feeding an inflation gas to an airbag, a small andlightweight gas cylinder containing a compressed gas is used instead ofan inflator normally used for an airbag device installed on a vehicle.Since the gas cylinder does not have a structure that allows a gas toflow out quickly, it takes a certain amount of time to inflate thebag-shaped airbag that covers the hip widely, and thus there is room forimprovement in terms of rapid and efficient inflation of the airbag.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a wearable airbag device having thefollowing configuration.

A wearable airbag device is configured to protect a targeted body partof a wearer, and includes an airbag configured to inflate to cover thetargeted body part by allowing an inflation gas to flow thereinto. Theairbag has a plurality of columnar inflation portions in which widthdimensions are set to be smaller than that of the targeted body part,and configured to maintain an arranged state of the columnar inflationportions when the inflation is completed, and to protect the targetedbody part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are schematic views of a state where a wearableairbag device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosureis worn on a wearer.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an airbag to be used in the wearable airbagdevice of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D are schematic views describing an operatingstate of the wearable airbag device according to the first embodimentwhen the wearer falls.

FIG. 6 is a schematic partial horizontal sectional view (a schematichorizontal sectional view on the left side) along a front-rear directionin a hip protecting portion in a state where the inflation of the airbagis completed in the wearable airbag device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic vertical sectional view in the hip protectingportion in a state where the inflation of the airbag is completed in thewearable airbag device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic horizontal sectional view in a head protectingportion in a state where the inflation of the airbag is completed in thewearable airbag device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a state where a wearable airbag deviceaccording to a second embodiment of the present disclosure is worn on awearer.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a state where the wearable airbag device ofthe second embodiment is laid flat.

FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B are plan views of a state where the airbag used inthe wearable airbag device of the second embodiment and an airbag basemember are arranged side by side to be flat.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line XII-XII of FIG. 11B.

FIG. 13 is a schematic partial horizontal sectional view (a schematichorizontal sectional view on the left side) along the front-reardirection in a state where the inflation of the airbag is completed inthe wearable airbag device of the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a schematic vertical sectional view in a worn stateillustrating a state where the inflation of the airbag is completed inthe wearable airbag device of the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of an airbag according to still anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along line XVI-XVI of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII of FIG. 15.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line XVIII-XVIII of FIG. 15.

FIG. 19 is a schematic partial horizontal sectional view (a schematichorizontal sectional view on the left side) along the front-reardirection in a worn state where the inflation of the airbag of FIG. 15is completed.

FIG. 20 is a schematic vertical sectional view in a worn state where theinflation of the airbag of FIG. 15 is completed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below withreference to the accompanying drawings. However, the invention is notlimited to the embodiments disclosed herein. All modifications withinthe appended claims and equivalents relative thereto are intended to beencompassed in the scope of the claims.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present disclosure will be describedbased on the drawings. A wearable airbag device S1 of the firstembodiment is a vest type to be worn on an upper body MU of a wearer M.As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the wearable airbag device S1includes an airbag 20, a gas generator 5 for feeding the airbag 20 withan inflation gas, an operation control device 1 that includes a sensorpart 2 for detecting a fall of the wearer M and operates the gasgenerator 5, and a clothing portion 10 as an accommodating portion foraccommodating and holding the airbag 20. When the inflation of theairbag 20 is completed, the wearable airbag device S1 of the firstembodiment is configured to protect a trochanter circumferential edgepart TO including left and right trochanters TP of femurs of the wearerM, and a head MH, as targeted body parts.

The operation control device 1 includes the sensor part 2 including anangular velocity sensor capable of detecting angular velocities aroundthree axes in up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions, and anacceleration sensor capable of detecting accelerations in the three-axisdirections. The operation control device 1 is configured to operate thegas generator 5 when a falling behavior different from a normal behaviorof the wearer M is detected by the signal from the sensor part 2.Specifically, when the wearer M starts the falling behavior differentfrom the normal behavior, the operation control device 1 includesdetermination means capable of making a determination from variousthreshold values, and thus the fall of the wearer M is detected based onthe determination of the determination means, and the gas generator 5 isoperated. The operation control device 1 further includes a power sourceformed of a battery (not illustrated) or the like for outputting signalsfor the operation of the sensor part 2 and for the operation of the gasgenerator 5.

The clothing portion 10 is formed as a vest that can be worn on theupper body MU of the wearer M, and includes a left front portion 11 anda right front portion 12 that cover the front surface of the upper bodyMU of the wearer M, and a back surface portion 13 that covers the backsurface of the upper body MU of the wearer M. The left front portion 11and the right front portion 12 are configured such that the facing inneredges can be joined to each other by a fastening tool 15 such as afastener. In other words, the clothing portion 10 is configured suchthat the left front portion 11 is provided to be connected to the frontside of the left portion of the back surface portion 13, and the rightfront portion 12 is provided to be connected to the front side of theright portion of the back surface portion 13. The clothing portion 10 ismade of a flexible sheet material (woven fabric) and covers the outercircumferential side of the folded airbag 20.

The airbag 20 is made of a flexible sheet material. In the case of theembodiment, the airbag 20 is made of a woven fabric made of polyesteryarns, polyamide yarns or the like. In the case of the embodiment, theairbag 20 is configured such that columnar inflation portions 22 inwhich the width dimensions are set to be smaller than the widthdimensions W1 and W2 (refer to FIGS. 6 and 8) of the targeted body parts(the head MH, the trochanter circumferential edge part TO) are arrangedin a single stroke manner. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, theairbag 20 has an inner wall 20 a disposed on the inner side (wearer Mside) and an outer wall 20 b disposed on the outer side at the time ofwearing, with substantially the same external shape. Then, the airbag 20is formed by stacking the inner wall 20 a and the outer wall 20 b in astate of being laid flat, and by joining (sewing by suturing)predetermined places such that continuous joining parts 21 are formed.The airbag 20 is configured such that the columnar inflation portions 22that can inflate so as to separate the inner wall 20 a and the outerwall 20 b are provided in a single stroke manner to extend in two forksstarting from the arranged part of the gas generator 5, by forming thejoining part 21, and the regions between the columnar inflation portions22 are connected over the entire surface by a non-inflation connectingportion 23 disposed such that the inner wall 20 a and the outer wall 20b can be overlapped with each other (refer to FIGS. 2 to 4). Thecolumnar inflation portion 22 includes columnar main body portions 22 aarranged substantially along the up-down direction or the horizontaldirection when the inflation is completed, and a connecting portion 22 bfor connecting the columnar main body portions 22 a to each other. Inthe case of the embodiment, the columnar inflation portion 22 (thecolumnar main body portion 22 a, the connecting portion 22 b) isconfigured such that the width dimension is substantially constant overthe entire length. Specifically, in the columnar inflation portion 22,the width dimension is set to be smaller than the width dimensions W1and W2 (refer to FIGS. 6 and 8) of the head MH and the trochantercircumferential edge part TO as the targeted body parts, and is set tobe a dimension that can ensure the thickness that can appropriatelyprotect the targeted body part (the trochanter circumferential edge partTO and the head MH) when the inflation is completed. In the case of theembodiment, the columnar main body portion 22 a includes a horizontalcolumnar main body portion 26 a, vertical columnar main body portions 27aa, 27 ab, 27 ac, and 27 ad, a horizontal columnar main body portion 27b, a vertical columnar main body portion 29 a, and vertical columnarmain body portions 31 aa, 31 ab, and 31 ac, which will be describedlater. Connecting portion 22 b includes connecting portions 27 ca, 27cb, 27 cc, 27 cd, and 27 ce and connecting portions 31 ba and 31 bb,which will be described later.

Further, the airbag 20 includes a hip protecting portion 25 that canprotect the hip MW of the wearer M when the inflation is completed, ahead protecting portion 31 that can protect the head MH of the wearer Mwhen the inflation is completed, and a communication path 29 forallowing the hip protecting portion 25 and the head protecting portion31 to communicate with each other. The airbag 20 is symmetrical in theleft-right direction in a state of being laid flat.

The hip protecting portion 25 is configured to be folded andaccommodated on the lower end side from the back surface portion 13 tothe left front portion 11 and the right front portion 12 on the left andright sides in the clothing portion 10, and to be inflated to protrudedownward from the clothing portion 10 and cover the outer side of thehip MW (the trochanter TP of femur as the targeted body part) of thewearer M at the time of the inflation. Specifically, as illustrated inFIG. 2, the hip protecting portion 25 includes two protecting main bodyportions 27 (27L, 27R) that cover the left and right sides of the hip MWof the wearer M, and a connecting inflation portion 26 that connects theupper ends of the protecting main body portions 27 to each other.

The connecting inflation portion 26 is formed of a single horizontalcolumnar main body portion 26 a provided substantially along theleft-right direction when the inflation is completed. Although thedetails are omitted in the drawing, the connecting inflation portion 26is disposed at a position which is the rear side of a pelvis MP of thewearer M when the inflation of the airbag 20 is completed. In addition,in the embodiment, the gas generator 5 is connected to the connectinginflation portion 26 for feeding the airbag 20 with an inflation gas(refer to FIG. 2). The gas generator 5 is disposed in the vicinity ofthe center in the length direction of the connecting inflation portion26 (horizontal columnar main body portion 26 a), and is connected to theairbag 20 by using a retainer (not illustrated). The gas generator 5 isconfigured to contain a compressed gas therein, and to release thecontained state and discharge a cold gas into the airbag 20 when beingoperated. The gas generator 5 is configured to be electrically connectedto the above-described operation control device 1, and to be operatedwith an operating signal input from the operation control device 1 thathas detected the fall of the wearer M. In the case of the embodiment,the inflation gas G discharged from the gas generator 5 flows to theleft and right in the connecting inflation portion 26 (horizontalcolumnar main body portion 26 a) and flows toward each of the protectingmain body portions 27 (27L, 27R).

Each of the protecting main body portions 27 (27L, 27R) is formed so asto extend downward while extending outward in the left-right directionfrom the connecting inflation portion 26 in a state where the airbag 20is laid flat. Each of the protecting main body portions 27 (27L, 27R) isconfigured to cover the outer side of the trochanter circumferentialedge part TO, which is the circumferential edge of the trochanter TP offemur of the wearer M as the targeted body part, when the inflation iscompleted, while the external shape in a state of being laid flat is asubstantially rectangular shape (refer to FIGS. 6 and 7). In the case ofthe embodiment, in each of the protecting main body portions 27, thewidth dimension in the up-down and left-right directions in a state ofbeing laid flat is set to be a dimension that can widely cover thesurrounding of the trochanter TP of femur including the front, rear,upper, and lower parts of the trochanter TP of femur when the inflationof the airbag 20 is completed. In the case of the embodiment, each ofthe protecting main body portions 27 is configured such that fourvertical columnar main body portions 27 aa, 27 ab, 27 ac, and 27 ad,which are provided to be substantially along the up-down direction whenthe inflation is completed, one horizontal columnar main body portion 27b provided to be substantially orthogonal to the vertical columnar mainbody portions 27 aa, 27 ab, 27 ac, and 27 ad above each of the verticalcolumnar main body portions 27 aa, 27 ab, 27 ac, and 27 ad, andconnecting portions 27 ca, 27 cb, 27 cc, 27 cd, and 27 ce which arerespectively connected to the vertical columnar main body portions 27aa, 27 ab, 27 ac, and 27 ad and the horizontal columnar main bodyportion 27 b are provided in a single stroke manner. In each of theprotecting main body portions 27, the vertical columnar main bodyportions 27 aa arranged on the left and right inner sides in a statewhere the airbag 20 is laid flat communicate with the connectinginflation portion 26 (horizontal columnar main body portion 26 a) viathe connecting portion 27 ca. In each of the protecting main bodyportions 27, the vertical columnar main body portions 27 aa, 27 ab, 27ac, and 27 ad are provided at substantially equal intervals, and in thenon-inflation connecting portions 23 arranged between the verticalcolumnar main body portions 27 aa, 27 ab, 27 ac, and 27 ad, the widthdimensions are set to be smaller than those of the vertical columnarmain body portions 27 aa, 27 ab, 27 ac, and 27 ad in a state of beinglaid flat. In each of the protecting main body portions 27, the verticalcolumnar main body portions 27 aa, 27 ab, 27 ac, and 27 ad are connectedto each other over the entire surface by the non-inflation connectingportion 23 such that the arranged state of the vertical columnar mainbody portions 27 aa, 27 ab, 27 ac, and 27 ad is maintained at the timeof the inflation. The horizontal columnar main body portion 27 b isconfigured to be provided substantially along the horizontal columnarmain body portion 26 a above the horizontal columnar main body portion26 a that forms the connecting inflation portion 26, and to extend tothe vicinity of the center of the horizontal columnar main body portion26 a in the left-right direction (refer to FIG. 2). Then, each of theprotecting main body portions 27 is configured to be inflated byallowing the inflation gas G that flows out of the connecting inflationportion 26 to sequentially flow into the vertical columnar main bodyportions 27 ab, 27 ac, and 27 ad from the vertical columnar main bodyportion 27 aa disposed on the connecting inflation portion 26 side, andby allowing the inflation gas G to flow out of the horizontal columnarmain body portion 27 b toward the communication path 29.

In the communication path 29, two vertical columnar main body portions29 a and 29 a formed to respectively extend from the horizontal columnarmain body portions 27 b arranged on each of the left and rightprotecting main body portions 27 are formed to be arranged side by sidein the left-right direction, and are provided substantially along theup-down direction, and the communication path 29 is inflated by allowingthe inflation gas to flow thereinto through the horizontal columnar mainbody portion 27 b. The communication path 29 is attached to the innerside of the center portion of the back surface portion 13 of theclothing portion 10.

The head protecting portion 31 is configured to be folded andaccommodated on the upper end side of the back surface portion 13 of theclothing portion 10, and to inflate to protrude upward from the clothingportion 10 and cover the rear side of the head MH of the wearer M at thetime of the inflation. The head protecting portion 31 is configured suchthat the external shape in a state of being laid flat is a substantiallyrectangular shape, and the left, right, upper, and lower parts of therear surface side of the head MH can be widely covered when theinflation is completed. Specifically, the head protecting portion 31 isconfigured such that the inflation completed shape is wider in theleft-right direction than the head MH. In the case of the embodiment,the head protecting portion 31 is configured such that three verticalcolumnar main body portions 31 aa, 31 ab, and 31 ac, which are formed toextend from each of the vertical columnar main body portions 29 a thatform the communication path 29, and the connecting portions 31 ba and 31bb that connect the vertical columnar main body portions 31 aa, 31 ab,and 31 ac to each other are provided symmetrically in the left-rightdirection (refer to FIG. 2). The vertical columnar main body portion 31aa provided on the center side in the left-right direction is configuredto extend upward from each of the vertical columnar main body portions29 a that form the communication path 29, and each of the verticalcolumnar main body portions 31 ab adjacent to the vertical columnar mainbody portion 31 aa on the center side thereof is configured to close thetip end side (upper end side). Then, the head protecting portion 31 isconfigured to be inflated by allowing the inflation gas G tosequentially flow into the vertical columnar main body portions 31 aband 31 ac from the two vertical columnar main body portions 31 aadisposed on the center side in the left-right direction through thecommunication path 29. In the head protecting portion 31, the widthdimension of the non-inflation connecting portion 23 disposed betweenthe vertical columnar main body portions 31 aa, 31 ab, and 31 ac is setto be smaller than those of the vertical columnar main body portions 31aa, 31 ab, and 31 ac in a state of being laid flat. In the headprotecting portion 31, the vertical columnar main body portions 31 aa,31 aa, 31 ab, 31 ab, 31 ac, and 31 ac are connected to each other overthe entire surface by the non-inflation connecting portion 23, and thearranged state of the vertical columnar main body portions 31 aa, 31 aa,31 ab, 31 ab, 31 ac, and 31 ac is maintained at the time of theinflation.

In the airbag 20, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of attachingtabs 20 c are provided at predetermined places on the upper edge side ofthe hip protecting portion 25, the lower edge side of the headprotecting portion 31, and the side edge side of the communication path29, and these attaching tabs 20 c are attached to the innercircumferential surface side of the clothing portion 10 by sewing or thelike, and are maintained by the clothing portion 10.

The wearable airbag device S1 of a first embodiment is worn on thewearer M so as to cover the upper body MU of the wearer M by using thefastening tool 15. In addition, in the wearable airbag device S1 of thefirst embodiment, in a state of being worn on the wearer M, when thesensor part 2 detects the fall of the wearer M as illustrated in FIGS.5A and 5B, the operating signal is output to the gas generator 5 fromthe operation control device 1, the inflation gas flows into the airbag20. In the embodiment, first, the hip protecting portion 25 of theairbag 20 inflates so as to protrude downward from the clothing portion10 and covers the surrounding of the hip MW (refer to FIG. 5B). Afterthis, when the inflation gas flows into the head protecting portion 31through the communication path 29, the head protecting portion 31inflates so as to protrude upward from the back surface portion 13 ofthe clothing portion 10, and the inflation is completed to cover theback of the head MH (refer to FIGS. 5C and 5D).

Then, in the wearable airbag device S1 of the first embodiment, theairbag 20 is configured to include the plurality of columnar inflationportions 22 in which the width dimension is set to be smaller than thoseof the targeted body parts (the head MH and the trochantercircumferential edge part TO). Therefore, the volume of the airbag 20can be reduced as compared with a case where the airbag has a simple bagshape. Further, by disposing the non-inflation connecting portion 23between the columnar inflation portions 22, when the inflation of theairbag 20 is completed, the arranged state of the columnar inflationportions 22 is maintained, and thus, when the inflation is completed, itis possible to stably protect the head MH and the trochantercircumferential edge part TO including the trochanter TP of femur as thetargeted body parts.

Therefore, in the wearable airbag device S1 of the first embodiment, theairbag 20 can be rapidly inflated, and the inflated airbag 20 can stablyprotect the head MH and the trochanter circumferential edge part TO(trochanter TP of femur) as the targeted body parts.

In the wearable airbag device S1 of the first embodiment, the airbag 20includes the hip protecting portion 25 that inflates so as to cover theside of the trochanter circumferential edge part TO (trochanter TP offemur), and the head protecting portion 31 that inflates to cover theback of the head MH. However, since the hip protecting portion 25 andthe head protecting portion 31 respectively have a plurality of columnarinflation portions 22 (columnar main body portions 22 a), it is possibleto suppress an increase in volume, and the airbag 20 can be rapidlyinflated even when the hip protecting portion 25 and the head protectingportion 31 are provided. Further, the airbag 20 is configured to firstallow the inflation gas G discharged from the gas generator 5 to flowinto each of the protecting main body portions 27 (27L, 27R) in the hipprotecting portion 25, and then allow the inflation gas to flow into thehead protecting portion 31 through the communication path 29. In otherwords, the airbag 20 is configured such that the hip protecting portion25 is positioned on the upstream side of the flow of the inflation gas,and the head protecting portion 31 is inflated after the inflation ofthe hip protecting portion 25. Therefore, corresponding to the contactorder with the fall destination part F when the wearer M falls, theinflated hip protecting portion 25 can rapidly protect the trochantercircumferential edge part TO (trochanter TP of femur), and then theinflated head protecting portion 31 can also accurately protect the headMH of the wearer M.

Next, a wearable airbag device S2 of a second embodiment will bedescribed. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the wearable airbag device S2 ofthe second embodiment is configured to be worn by being wrapped aroundthe hip MW of the wearer M. The wearable airbag device S2 of the secondembodiment is configured to protect the left and right trochantercircumferential edge parts TO (trochanter TP of femur) of the wearer Mas a targeted body part when the inflation of the airbag 40 iscompleted.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the wearable airbag device S2 includes theairbag 40, the gas generator 5 for feeding the airbag 40 with theinflation gas, the operation control device 1, and an outer cover 60that covers an outer circumferential side of the airbag 40. Theoperation control device 1 and the gas generator 5 have the sameconfigurations as those of the operation control device 1 and the gasgenerator 5 in the above-described wearable airbag device S1, andtherefore, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In thewearable airbag device S2, the airbag 40 is accommodated inside theouter cover 60 in a state of being laid flat.

The airbag 40 is formed of a flexible sheet material (specifically, awoven fabric made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, and the like)similar to the above-described airbag 20, and as illustrated in FIG.11B, the airbag 40 includes two protecting main body portions 48 (48L,48R) that cover the left and right sides of the hip MW of the wearer Mwhen the inflation is completed, and a connecting inflation portion 47that connects the upper ends of the protecting main body portions 48 toeach other. The airbag 40 is symmetrical in the left-right direction ina state of being laid flat. In the case of the embodiment, the airbag 40is configured by folding back a part of the airbag base member 42 asillustrated in FIG. 11A and joining the predetermined places such thatthe folded state can be maintained.

The airbag base member 42 is configured such that columnar inflationportions 44, in which the width dimensions are set to be smaller thanthe width dimension W1 (refer to FIG. 13) of the targeted body part(trochanter circumferential edge part TO), are arranged in a singlestroke manner. The airbag base member 42 has an inner wall 42 a disposedon the inner side (wearer M side) and an outer wall 42 b disposed on theouter side at the time of wearing, with substantially the same externalshape. Then, the airbag base member 42 is formed by stacking the innerwall 42 a and the outer wall 42 b in a state of being laid flat, and byjoining (sewing by suturing) predetermined places such that continuousjoining parts 43 are formed. The airbag base member 42 is configuredsuch that the columnar inflation portions 44 that can inflate so as toseparate the inner wall 42 a and the outer wall 42 b are provided in asingle stroke manner to extend in two forks starting from the arrangedpart of the gas generator 5, and the regions between the columnarinflation portions 44 are connected over the entire surface by anon-inflation connecting portion 45 disposed such that the inner wall 42a and the outer wall 42 b can be overlapped with each other (refer toFIG. 11A). The columnar inflation portion 44 includes columnar main bodyportions 44 a arranged substantially along the up-down direction or thehorizontal direction when the inflation is completed, and a connectingportion 44 b for connecting the columnar main body portions 44 a to eachother. In the case of the embodiment, the columnar inflation portion 44(the columnar main body portion 44 a, the connecting portion 44 b) isconfigured such that the width dimension is substantially constant overthe entire length. The width dimension of the columnar inflation portion44 is set to be smaller than the width dimension W1 (refer to FIG. 13)of the trochanter circumferential edge part TO as the targeted bodypart, and is set to be a dimension that can measure a sufficientthickness of the columnar main body portion 44 a when the inflation iscompleted. In the case of the embodiment, the columnar main body portion44 a includes a horizontal columnar main body portion 47 a and verticalcolumnar main body portions 50 aa, 50 ab, 50 ac, 50 ad, 50 ae, and 50af, which will be described later. The connecting portion 44 b includesconnecting portions 50 ba, 50 bb, 50 bc, 50 bd, 50 be, and 50 bf, whichwill be described later.

As illustrated in FIG. 11A, the airbag base member 42 includes theconnecting inflation portion 47, and two protecting main bodyconfiguration portions 50 (50L, 50R) that form each of the protectingmain body portions 48 (48L, 48R).

The connecting inflation portion 47 has the same configuration as thatof the connecting inflation portion 26 of the hip protecting portion 25in the above-described airbag 20, and is formed of a single horizontalcolumnar main body portion 47 a provided substantially along theleft-right direction when the inflation is completed. The connectinginflation portion 47 is disposed in the region of a wrap portion 62(which will be described later) in the outer cover 60, and thus,although the details are omitted in the drawing, the connectinginflation portion 47 is disposed at a position which is the rear side ofthe pelvis MP of the wearer M when the inflation of the airbag 40 iscompleted. Similar to the above-described connecting inflation portion26, the connecting inflation portion 47 connects the gas generator 5 tothe vicinity of the center in the length direction (left-rightdirection).

In the case of the embodiment, each of the protecting main bodyconfiguration portions 50 (50L, 50R) is configured such that sixvertical columnar main body portions 50 aa, 50 ab, 50 ac, 50 ad, 50 ae,and 50 af which are provided so as to be substantially along the up-downdirection when the inflation is completed, and the connecting portions50 ba, 50 bb, 50 bc, 50 bd, 50 be, and 50 bf that respectively connecteach of the vertical columnar main body portions 50 aa, 50 ab, 50 ac, 50ad, 50 ae, and 50 af are arranged in a single stroke manner. (refer toFIG. 11A). Each of the vertical columnar main body portions 50 aa, 50ab, 50 ac, 50 ad, 50 ae, and 50 af is arranged side by sidesubstantially along the up-down direction and in the left-rightdirection, respectively. Then, the vertical columnar main body portion50 aa arranged on the left and right inner sides in a state where theairbag base member 42 is laid flat communicates with the connectinginflation portion 47 (horizontal columnar main body portion 47 a) viathe connecting portion 50 ba, and the vertical columnar main bodyportion 50 af disposed on the end side in the left-right direction isconfigured to close the terminal (upper end side). Each of the verticalcolumnar main body portions 50 aa, 50 ab, 50 ac, 50 ad, 50 ae, and 50 afis provided over substantially the entire upper and lower regions of theprotecting main body configuration portion 50. Each of the protectingmain body configuration portions 50 is configured to be inflated byallowing the inflation gas G that flows out of the connecting inflationportion 47 to sequentially flow into the vertical columnar main bodyportions 50 ab, 50 ac, 50 ad, 50 ae, and 50 af from the verticalcolumnar main body portion 50 aa disposed on the connecting inflationportion 47 side (refer to FIG. 11A). Each of the protecting main bodyconfiguration portions 50 has a region on the end edge side in theleft-right direction in a state of being laid flat as an overlappingportion 53. Then, the protecting main body portion 48 is configured byoverlapping the overlapping portion 53 with an overlapped portion 54formed of the region on the center side in the left-right direction, andby joining the upper edge side and the lower edge side of theoverlapping portion 53 respectively to the upper edge side and the loweredge side of the overlapped portion 54. In other words, the protectingmain body portion 48 is configured such that a region on the end side inthe left-right direction in a state of being laid flat (a region on thefront side at the time of wearing) is disposed to stack the overlappingportion 53 and the overlapped portion 54 on the surface of the targetedbody part (trochanter circumferential edge part TO), and in theoverlapping region, the columnar inflation portions 44 (verticalcolumnar main body portions 50 ab, 50 ac, 50 ae, and 50 af) are disposedto be overlapped inside and outside to be stacked on the surface of thetargeted body part (trochanter circumferential edge part TO) (refer toFIGS. 13 and 14). In the case of the embodiment, the overlapping portion53 is overlapped on the outside of the overlapped portion 54.

Each of the protecting main body portions 48 (48L, 48R) is configured tocover the outer side of the trochanter circumferential edge part TO,which is the circumferential edge of the trochanter TP of femur of thewearer M as the targeted body part, when the inflation is completed,while the external shape in a state of being laid flat is asubstantially rectangular shape. In the case of the embodiment, in eachof the protecting main body portions 48 (48L, 48R), the width dimensionin the up-down and left-right directions in a state of being laid flatis set to be a dimension that can widely cover the surrounding of thetrochanter TP of femur (trochanter circumferential edge part TO)including the front, rear, upper, and lower parts of the trochanter TPof femur when the inflation of the airbag 40 is completed (refer toFIGS. 13 and 14). Then, as described above, each of the protecting mainbody portions 48 is inflated by first allowing the inflation gas G thatflows out of the communication path 46 to flow into the verticalcolumnar main body portion 50 aa, and sequentially, by allowing theinflation gas G to flow into the vertical columnar main body portions 50ab, 50 ac, 50 ad, 50 ae, and 50 af. Further, in each of the protectingmain body portions 48, since the vertical columnar main body portions 50aa, 50 ab, 50 ac, 50 ad, 50 ae, and 50 af are connected to each otherover the entire surface by the non-inflation connecting portion 45, thearranged state of the vertical columnar main body portions 50 aa, 50 ab,50 ac, 50 ad, 50 ae, and 50 af is also maintained at the time of theinflation.

The outer cover 60 is made of a flexible woven fabric. In the case ofthe embodiment, the outer cover 60 is made of a polyester woven fabric.The outer cover 60 has an inner wall 60 a disposed on the inner side(wearer M side) at the time of wearing and an outer wall 60 b disposedon the outer side at the time of wearing, with substantially the sameexternal shape. The outer cover 60 has a bag shape by joining (sewing)the outer circumferential edges of the inner wall 60 a and the outerwall 60 b to each other, and thus the airbag 40 can smoothly inflateinside. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the outer cover 60 has thesubstantially band-shaped wrap portion 62 disposed on the upper edgeside and wrapped around the upper region of the pelvis MP of the wearerM, and two main covering portions 65 (65L, 65R) which are formed toextend downward from the wrap portion 62 and cover the outercircumferential sides of each of the protecting main body portions 48(48L, 48R). A pair of hook-and-loop fastener 63 as wearing means areprovided on end portions 62 a and 62 b sides of the wrap portion 62. Thehook-and-loop fastener 63 has a hook surface 63 a and a loop surface 63b arranged on the end portions 62 a and 62 b sides of the wrap portion62, respectively, and is configured to connect the end portions 62 a and62 b of the wrap portion 62 to each other. The main covering portions65L and 65R are formed to extend downward from the wrap portion 62, andare configured to respectively smoothly inflate the protecting main bodyportions 48 (48L, 48R) inside.

The wearable airbag device S2 of the second embodiment is worn on thewearer M by being wrapped around the hip MW (pelvis MP) of the wearer Mby connecting the end portions 62 a and 62 b of the wrap portion 62 inthe outer cover 60 to each other by using the hook-and-loop fastener 63as wearing means (refer to FIG. 9). In addition, in wearable airbagdevice S2 of the second embodiment, in a state of being worn on thewearer M, when the sensor part 2 detects the fall of the wearer M, theoperating signal is output to the gas generator 5 from the operationcontrol device 1, the inflation gas flows into the airbag 40, and theairbag 40 completes the inflation as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14.

In the wearable airbag device S2 of the second embodiment as well, theairbag 40 is configured to include the plurality of columnar inflationportions 44 (columnar main body portions 44 a) in which the widthdimension is set to be smaller than that of the trochantercircumferential edge part TO as the targeted body part. Therefore, thevolume of the airbag 40 can be reduced as compared with a case where theairbag has a simple bag shape. Further, since the airbag 40 maintainsthe arranged state of the columnar inflation portion 44 (columnar mainbody portion 44 a) by interposing the non-inflation connecting portion45 therebetween when the inflation is completed, the airbag 40 canstably protect the trochanter circumferential edge part TO (trochanterTP of femur) as the targeted body part when the inflation is completed.

Further, in the wearable airbag device S2 of the second embodiment, whenthe inflation is completed, the airbag 40 is configured to provide theoverlapping region disposed to stack the columnar inflation portions 44(vertical columnar main body portions 50 ab, 50 ac, 50 ae, and 50 af) onthe surface of the targeted body part (trochanter circumferential edgepart TO). Therefore, the airbag 40 can be inflated to be thick at apredetermined place. Specifically, in the second embodiment, each of theprotecting main body portions 48 in the airbag 40 is configured suchthat the overlapping portion 53 and the overlapped portion 54 arestacked on the surface of the targeted body part (trochantercircumferential edge part TO) over the region in the vicinity of thecenter in the front-rear direction where the side part of thetrochanters TP of femurs is covered from the front edge side in a wornstate. Therefore, the airbag 40 can thickly inflate the region thatcovers the trochanter TP of femur, and can stably protect thecircumferential edge part of the trochanter TP of femur.

Furthermore, as the airbag 70, those having the configurationsillustrated in FIGS. 15 to 20 may be used. Similar to the airbag 40 ofthe above-described second embodiment, the airbag 70 is worn by beingwrapped around the hip MW of the wearer M, and protects thecircumferential edge parts of the left and right trochanters TP offemurs of the wearer M as the targeted body part when the inflation iscompleted. Similar to the above-described airbag 40, the airbag 70includes two protecting main body portions 86 (86L, 86R) that cover theleft and right sides of the hip MW of the wearer M when the inflation iscompleted, and a connecting inflation portion 85 that connects the upperends of the protecting main body portions 86 to each other.

The airbag 70 is made of a flexible sheet material. In the case of theembodiment, the airbag 70 is made of a woven fabric made of polyesteryarns, polyamide yarns or the like. In the case of the embodiment, theairbag 70 is configured such that a plurality of columnar inflationportions 73 in which the width dimensions are set to be smaller than thewidth dimension W1 (refer to FIG. 19) of the targeted body part (thetrochanter circumferential edge part TO) are arranged side by side tocommunicate with each other by the intersections 78. Specifically, theairbag 70 includes an inner wall 70 a disposed on the inner side (wearerM side) at the time of wearing, an outer wall 70 b disposed on the outerside, a side wall 70 c that connects the inner wall 70 a and the outerwall 70 b, and a partition wall 71 for partitioning the internal regionof the airbag 70 (refer to FIGS. 15 to 18). The partition walls 71(71UL, 71UR, 71DL, 71DR) form the circumferential wall of the columnarinflation portion 73, and partitions the internal region of the airbag70 into an inflow region (columnar inflation portion 73) into which theinflation gas flows and a non-inflow region 80 into which the inflationgas does not flow. In the case of the embodiment, the partition walls 71(71UL, 71UR, 71DL, 71DR) include an upper wall 71 a, a lower wall 71 b,and a side wall 71 c that connects the upper wall 71 a and the lowerwall 71 b, and two partition walls 71 are arranged side by side in theup-down direction in the regions of each of the protecting main bodyportions 86 as a substantially U shape which is flat (refer to FIGS. 15,16, and 18). In the case of the embodiment, the columnar inflationportion 73 includes an upper horizontal inflation portion 74 disposedsubstantially along the left-right direction over substantially theentire region in the width direction on the upper end side of the airbag70, two vertical inflation portions 76L and 76R arranged to extenddownward from the upper horizontal inflation portion 74 while beingsubstantially orthogonal to the upper horizontal inflation portion 74,and two lower horizontal inflation portions 75UL, 75UR, 75DL, and 75DR(four in total) extending substantially along the left-right directionto be branched from the vicinity of the center in the up-down directionand the lower end sides of each of the vertical inflation portions 76Land 76R. The upper horizontal inflation portion 74, the verticalinflation portions 76L and 76R, and the lower horizontal inflationportions 75UL, 75UR, 75DL, and 75DR communicate with each other byintersections 78 (78UL, 78UR, 78CL, 78CR, 78DL, and 78DR), respectively.Further, the end portion of the upper horizontal inflation portion 74and the tip end on the side separated from the vertical inflationportions 76L and 76R in the lower horizontal inflation portions 75UL,75UR, 75DL, and 75DR are closed. In the case of the embodiment, thecolumnar inflation portion 73 is configured such that the widthdimension is substantially constant over the entire length except forthe center side part 74 a of the upper horizontal inflation portion 74that forms the connecting inflation portion 85 as will be describedlater.

The connecting inflation portion 85 is formed of a center side part 74 awhich is a region on the center side in the left-right direction of theupper horizontal inflation portion 74 in the columnar inflation portion73 (a region between the vertical inflation portions 76L and 76R). Thegas generator 5 is connected to the vicinity of the center of theconnecting inflation portion 85 in the length direction (left-rightdirection) (refer to FIG. 15). The width dimension of the center sidepart 74 a of the upper horizontal inflation portion 74 that forms theconnecting inflation portion 85 is set to be larger than that of theother parts in the columnar inflation portion 73. Although the detailsare omitted in the drawing, the connecting inflation portion 85 is alsodisposed at a position which is the rear side of the pelvis MP of thewearer M when the inflation is completed in a state of being worn on thewearer M.

Each of the protecting main body portions 86 (86L, 86R) is configured tocover the outer side of the circumferential edge part of the trochanterTP of femur of the wearer M as the targeted body part when the inflationis completed, while the external shape is a substantially rectangularshape. In the case of the embodiment, in each of the protecting mainbody portions 86, the width dimension in the up-down and left-rightdirections in a state of being laid flat is set to be a dimension thatcan widely cover the surrounding (trochanter circumferential edge partTO) of the trochanter TP of femur including the front, rear, upper, andlower parts of the trochanter TP of femur when the inflation of theairbag 70 is completed (refer to FIGS. 19 and 20). As described above,each of the protecting main body portions 86 partitions the internalregion by two partition walls 71U and 71D. Then, each of the protectingmain body portions 86 is configured to be arranged side by side suchthat the vertical inflation portion 76 is provided on the inner end sidein the left-right direction in a state of being laid flat, and thenon-inflow regions 80U and 80D are interposed in the up-down directionbetween an end side part 74 b of the upper horizontal inflation portion74 and two lower horizontal inflation portions 75U and 75D, outside thevertical inflation portion 76 in the left-right direction. Each of theprotecting main body portions 86 inflates such that the inflation gas Gthat has flowed into the connecting inflation portion 85 (the centerside part 74 a of the upper horizontal inflation portion 74) flowed tothe lower horizontal inflation portions 75U and 75D through the verticalinflation portion 67. In each of the protecting main body portions 86,the upper horizontal inflation portion 74 and the lower horizontalinflation portions 75U and 75D are connected to each other by thenon-inflow regions 80U and 80D, and thus, at the time of the inflation,the arranged state of the upper horizontal inflation portion 74 and thelower horizontal inflation portions 75U and 75D is maintained.

Even when the airbag 70 is used, the airbag 70 is configured to have aplurality of columnar inflation portions 73 in which the widthdimensions are set to be smaller than that of the trochantercircumferential edge part TO as a targeted body part. Therefore, thevolume of the airbag 70 can be reduced as compared with a case where theairbag has a simple bag shape. Further, when the inflation is completed,the airbag 70 is connected to each other by the non-inflow regions 80Uand 80D such that the arranged state of the columnar inflation portion73 (the upper horizontal inflation portion 74, the lower horizontalinflation portions 75U and 75D) is maintained. Therefore, the airbag 70can stably protect the trochanter circumferential edge part TO(trochanter TP of femur) as the targeted body part when the inflation iscompleted.

Further, in the airbag 70 having the above-described configuration, byarranging the partition walls 71U and 71D inside, the inner wall 70 aand the outer wall 70 b are arranged to be separated from each othereven in the non-inflow regions 80U and 80D when the inflation iscompleted. (refer to FIG. 20). In other words, in the non-inflow regions80U and 80D, the width dimension (the separation distance between theupper wall 71 a and the lower wall 71 b in the partition wall 71) in theup-down direction is set to be a dimension that does not bring the innerwall 70 a and the outer wall 70 b into contact with each other (does notbring the walls into contact with the bottom). In other words, in theairbag 70 having the above-described configuration, when the inflationis completed, the non-inflow regions 80U and 80D are arranged in a stateof having a certain thickness, and tension is also generated by theinflated columnar inflation portion 73 in the non-inflow regions 80U and80D. Therefore, even when the airbag 70 is configured such that thecolumnar inflation portions 73 (lower horizontal inflation portions 75Uand 75D) are arranged so as to intersect the trochanter TP of femur,similar to the airbag that is inflated to be thick entirely, thetrochanter circumferential edge part TO (trochanter TP of femur) as thetargeted body part can be stably protected. It is needless to say that,even an airbag of the type in which the columnar inflation portionscommunicate with each other by the intersections may be formed bydirectly joining (sewing) the two base fabrics similar to theabove-described airbag.

In the airbags 20 and 40 of the embodiment, the inner walls 20 a and 42a and the outer walls 20 b and 42 b are sewn so as to provide continuousjoining parts 21 and 43, and the columnar inflation portions 22 and 44are formed. Then, the region between the columnar inflation portions 22and 44 in the airbags 20 and 40 is connected to each other over theentire surface by the non-inflation connecting portions 23 and 45arranged such that the inner walls 20 a and 42 a and the outer walls 20b and 42 b are arranged to be overlapped with each other. Further, inthe airbag 70, the partition wall 71 is provided between the inner wall70 a and the outer wall 70 b to partition the columnar inflation portion73 and the non-inflow region 80. In other words, the airbags 20, 40, and70 of the embodiment are all configured such that the airbags 20, 40,and 70 themselves can maintain the arranged state of the columnarinflation portions 22, 44, and 73 when the inflation is completed.However, the configuration of the airbag is not limited to theembodiment. For example, as an airbag, a configuration may be used inwhich holding bodies capable of forming a columnar inflation portionfrom a tubular body that can be inflated by allowing the inflation gasto flow thereinto and maintaining the arranged state of the columnarinflation portions when the inflation is completed are separatelyprovided. Further, similar to the second embodiment, when the airbag isinflated in the outer cover, the columnar inflation portion of theairbag may be configured to be maintained by the outer cover.

The present disclosure relates to a wearable airbag device having thefollowing configuration.

A wearable airbag device is configured to protect a targeted body partof a wearer, and includes an airbag configured to inflate to cover thetargeted body part by allowing an inflation gas to flow thereinto. Theairbag has a plurality of columnar inflation portions in which widthdimensions are set to be smaller than that of the targeted body part,and configured to maintain an arranged state of the columnar inflationportions when the inflation is completed, and to protect the targetedbody part.

In the wearable airbag device of the present disclosure, since theairbag is configured to have a plurality of columnar inflation portionsin which the width dimensions are set to be smaller than that of thetargeted body part, the volume can be reduced as compared with a casewhere the airbag has a simple bag shape. Further, since this airbagmaintains the arranged state of the columnar inflation portions when theinflation is completed, it is possible to stably protect the targetedbody part when the inflation is completed.

Therefore, in the wearable airbag device of the present disclosure, theairbag can be rapidly inflated, and the inflated airbag can stablyprotect the targeted body parts.

Specifically, in the wearable airbag device according to the presentdisclosure, it is preferable that the targeted body part includes leftand right femoral trochanter circumferential edge parts of the wearer,and a head, and the airbag includes a hip protecting portion thatinflates to cover a side of the femoral trochanter circumferential edgepart, and a head protecting portion that inflates to cover at least backof the head, and is configured to position the hip protecting portion onan upstream side of a flow of the inflation gas, and inflate the headprotecting portion after inflating the hip protecting portion.

When the wearable airbag device has such a configuration, it is possibleto suppress an increase in volume by having a configuration having aplurality of columnar inflation portions, and the airbag can be rapidlyinflated even when the hip protecting portion and the head protectingportion are provided. In addition, corresponding to the contact orderwith the fall destination part when the wearer falls, the inflated hipprotecting portion can rapidly protect the femoral trochantercircumferential edge part, and then the inflated head protecting portioncan also accurately protect the head of the wearer.

Furthermore, in the wearable airbag device having the above-describedconfiguration, it is preferable that, when the airbag is configured suchthat the overlapping region is provided in which the columnar inflationportions are arranged to be stacked on the surface of the targeted bodypart when the inflation is completed, the airbag can also be inflated tobe thick at a predetermined place.

Specifically, the airbag may be formed by arranging the columnarinflation portions in a single stroke manner, and further, the airbagmay be configured such that the columnar inflation portions communicatewith each other by the intersection.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wearable airbag device configured to protect atargeted body part of a wearer, comprising: an airbag configured toinflate to cover the targeted body part by allowing an inflation gas toflow thereinto, wherein the airbag has a plurality of columnar inflationportions in which width dimensions are set to be smaller than that ofthe targeted body part, and configured to maintain an arranged state ofthe columnar inflation portions when the inflation is completed, and toprotect the targeted body part.
 2. The wearable airbag device accordingto claim 1, wherein the targeted body part includes left and rightfemoral trochanter circumferential edge parts of the wearer, and a head,and the airbag includes a hip protecting portion that inflates to covera side of the femoral trochanter circumferential edge part, and a headprotecting portion that inflates to cover at least back of the head, andis configured to position the hip protecting portion on an upstream sideof a flow of the inflation gas, and inflate the head protecting portionafter inflating the hip protecting portion.
 3. The wearable airbagdevice according to claim 1, wherein, the airbag is configured to havean overlapping region in which the columnar inflation portions arearranged to be stacked on a surface of the targeted body part when theinflation is completed.
 4. The wearable airbag device according to claim1, wherein, the airbag is formed by arranging the columnar inflationportions in a single stroke manner.
 5. The wearable airbag deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein, the airbag is configured to allow thecolumnar inflation portions to communicate with each other byintersections.